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The Act makes “non‐consensual dissemination of private sexual images,” otherwise known as “revenge porn” a Class 4 felony. It is a crime to knowingly post sexually explicit photos, video, voice recordings, etc. of another person online without the person’s consent. Revenge porn is a growing problem due to increased use of social media and other technology. Posts are sexual exploitation and often include names, addresses, e‐mail addresses and other information that compromises the safety of victims and their families. The Act includes exceptions for telecommunications and law enforcement and voluntary exposure in public or commercial settings.

The Act establishes ABLE savings trust accounts to be administered by the Virginia College Savings Plan to facilitate the saving of private funds for paying the qualified disability expenses of certain disabled individuals. Under the federal Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014, Congress authorized states to establish ABLE savings trust accounts to assist individuals and families in saving and paying for the education, housing, transportation, employment training and support, assistive technology and personal support services, health, prevention and wellness, financial management and administrative services, and other expenses of individuals who were disabled or blind prior to the age of 26. Earnings on contributions to ABLE savings trust accounts are exempt from federal income tax. Because Virginia conforms to the federal income tax laws, earnings on contributions to ABLE savings trust accounts will also be excluded from Virginia taxable income.

This act allows active duty service members to cancel and reinstate services like cable, internet, and health club memberships. In order to cancel or reinstate services, a member of the armed services must provide orders proving they have been called into active duty. Qualifying active duty members may be able to reinstate services under the same terms and conditions before cancellation due to active duty call-up.

The growing use of social media in the U.S. has had implications in both the employment and educational contexts. In recent years, some employers and educational institutions have asked current and/or prospective employees or students to grant the employer or school access to social media accounts. From 2012-2014 (as of September 2014), nineteen states enacted varying legislation addressing access of this type (Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin), and numerous additional bills on the topic were introduced.

This act adds physicians, nurses, physical therapists, and physician assistants to a list of mental health professionals required to complete training in suicide assessment, treatment and management every six years. It requires the model list of training programs to be updated periodically, and when practicable, to contain content specific to veterans. It also requires the state to complete a suicide prevention plan.

This act revises the education and orientation requirements for birth centers and their families to incorporate safe sleep practices and causes of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death. It also makes legislative findings with respect to the sudden unexpected death of an infant under a specified age, as well as defines the term “Sudden Unexpected Infant Death”, and includes other provisions relating to training requirements for first responders and health professionals.

This act specifies that any pregnant woman referred for drug abuse or drug dependence treatment at any treatment resource that receives public funding would be a priority user of available treatment. The department of mental health and substance abuse services must ensure that family-oriented drug abuse or drug dependence treatment is available, as appropriations allow. A treatment resource that receives public funds may not refuse to treat a person solely because the person is pregnant as long as appropriate services are offered by the treatment resource.

This act amends Tennessee’s fetal homicide law to allow the prosecution of a pregnant woman for the illegal use of a narcotic drug, if her child is born addicted or harmed by the drugs she took during her pregnancy. The charge of assault is a misdemeanor offense, but if the child is harmed, aggravated assault, with a 15-year maximum prison term, could be charged. That a woman is enrolled in long term drug addiction treatment before the child is born, remains in the program after delivery and successfully completes the program is an affirmative defense under the law. The law is set to expire on July 1, 2016.